Food packaging machine with synchronized drive mechanism

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for packaging food products and including mechanism for dispensing containers onto an endless conveyor, filling the containers with flowable material, placing a cover on the filled containers, sealing the cover to the container, and discharging the sealed containers from the machine. All of the individual mechanisms are driven from a single source of power so that all of such mechanisms will be synchronized and will remain in time relationship with each other at all times. Also, novel means are provided for discharging filled and capped containers from the endless conveyor. The discharge means include a container raising cam, a notched receiver plate, a pair of fixed support rods and means for reciprocating the receiver plate to discharge containers from the conveyor onto the support rods.

United States Patent Christine et al.

1 Oct. 3, 1972 [54] FOOD PACKAGING MACHINE WITH SYNCHRONIZED DRIVEMECHANISM [72] Inventors: William C. Christine, Catasauqua',

Primary Examiner-Robert L. SpruIll z Pierce Allentown both ofAttorney-William C. Conner and Curtis, Morris &

Safford [73] Assignee: A. E. J. Corporation, Bethlehem,

Pa. [57] ABSTRACT Filedi J y 0,1970 Apparatus for packaging foodproducts and including [21] APPL No; 53,947 mechanism for dispensingcontainers onto an endless conveyor, filling the containers withflowable material, placing a cover on the filled containers, sealing theU-S. R, to [51] Int. Cl ..B65b 3/00, B65!) 31/02 cohtaihersfmm themachine A of the individual [58] Fleld of Search ..5 3/ 37, 281, 282,167, 1 12 R; mechanisms are driven f a single source of power 141/85 91;198/106 so that all of such mechanisms will be synchronized and willremain in time relationship with each other at [56] References C'ted alltimes. Also, novel means are provided for discharg- UNITED STATESPATENTS I ing filled andcapped containers from the endless conveyor. Thedischarge means Include a container rais- 3,503,182 3/1970 PhIpps....53/282 i a t h d receiver plate, a pair of fixed sup- 3,336,722 8/1967Van der winden ..53/37 port rods and means for reciprocating thereceiver 3,319,397 5/1967 Lupot'icL, ..53/282 plate to dischargecontainers f the cohyeyor onto 3,527,020 9/1970 Mancini ..53/282 thesupport rods 2,897,643 8/1959 Byrd ..53/281 3,267,971 8/ 1966 Mueller..53/37 X 7; Claims, 17 Drawing Figures I 5 j 22 20 2 i 2 as 2 5' a3 a01 z ll W PATENTED N 3 I973 SHEET 1 OF 7 INVENTORS WILLIAM c. CHRISTINEJOSEPH E. PIERCE ATTORNEY PATENTEDUH 3 I972 SHEET 2 OF 7 INVENTORSWILLIAM C. CHRISTINE JOSEPH E. PIERCE BY Z izi i V ATTORNEY PATENTED 3I973 SHEET 3 OF 7 IHHHHIHI Ill INVENTORS WILLIAM C. CHRISTINE JOSEPH E.PIERCE 7 ATTORNEY PAIENIEIJIIBI 3 I972 SHEET I [IF 7 FIG. 8

INVENTORS WILLIAM C. CHRISTINE JOSEPH E. PIERCE M ATTORNEY ABYPATENTEDUCIS I972 3.694.997

sum 5 0r 7 12/ FIG. l2

WILLIAM C. CHRISTINE JOSEPH E. PIERCE ATTORNEY 1N VENTORS PATENTED T 3I973 SHEEF 6 OF 7 47 DIGDIGDIP FIG. I4

FIG. I5

INVENTORS 23 WlLLlAM C. CHRISTINE JOSEPH E. PIERCE ATTORNEY PATENTEDnms1912 SHEET 7 BF 7 FIG. ms

INVENTORS WILLIAM C. CHRISTI NE JOSEPH E. PIERCE Jami ATTORNEY FOODPACKAGING MACHINE WITH SYNCHRONIZED DRIVE MECHANISM BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally tofood and drug packaging machinery of different kinds and relatesparticularly to machinery for packaging flowable food products inliquid, semi-liquid, granular or powdered form in which containers aredispensed, filled, covered and sealed automatically in a minimum of timeand in a substantially continuous operation.

2. Description of the Prior Art l-Ieretofore many efforts have been madeto provide machinery for packaging of various food productsautomatically, however these prior art devices have not beensatisfactory because they have been too expensive to manufacture andmaintain, and have been driven by multiple sources of power andtherefore have been difficult to maintain in synchronization, andrequired skilled operators and have presented problems of cleanlinessand sanitation so that the devices have not been completely satisfactoryfor handling foods and drugs; and for other reasons have not served thepurposes for which they were intended.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a food packagingmachine having an endless conveyor with upper and lower generallyhorizontal runs which conveyor is operated automatically in anintermittent step by step or continuous manner. The conveyor includesa'plurality of flights adapted to be moved in relation to apositionbelow a container dispenser where containers are discharged intoopenings in each flight after which the conveyor moves the containers toa position below a food dispensing mechanism which discharges apredetermined quantity of flowable food product into each containerafter which a cover is placed on each container and is sealed thereonand then the containers are discharged from the machine. After thecontainers are discharged, the lower run of the conveyor is immersed ina cleaning solution or other cleaning agent to clean and sterilize theflights.

An object of the invention is to provide a food packaging machine inwhich all of the various elements are driven in synchronism from eachother with a common source and in which the flights of the conveyor arecleaned and sanitized prior to receiving the containers and the foodproduct.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a packagingmachine that includes a container dispenser, a product filler mechanism,a variable speed Still another object of the present invention is topro-- vide a packaging machine that will automatically cap thecontainers with pre-cut lids, then hermetically seal the lids on tothecontainers, and wherein a minimum amount of personnel is required tooperate the machine.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a packagingmachine that is constructed so that sterilization can be accomplished,and wherein agitation can be used in the filling operating, and whereinthe trays can be handled without being touched by human hands, andwherein there is provided a novel take-off arrangement as well as aprogrammer circuit, the present invention permitting a variety ofconfigurations of containers to be handled, and wherein various types ofoff-loading can be used. In addition, there is provided a novel flightconfiguration as well as a sanitizing bath for the conveyors, andwherein the parts can be easily cleaned and dried when in place. Alsothere is provided a means for maintaining flight alignment, and a heatsealing station with a spring'mounting that provides a uniform mountingmeans, and there is a floating action for the individual heat sealingheads.

Also, a shroud can be used on the machine if desired or required forsupporting an aseptic arrangement, or an inert gas flush. Further thepresent invention has variable timing features at each station. I

Another object is to provide an apparatus of the character describedthat may beutilized speedily and with precision by even inexperiencedoperators.

Further objects and advantages are to provide improved elements andarrangements thereof in a device of the character described that iseconomical to produce, durable in form, and conducive to the mosteconomical use of materials and uniformity of members formed therefrom.

Still further objects and advantages will become apparent in thesubsequent description in the specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevation illustratingone application of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the container dispensingmechanism.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation thereof.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of the drive mechanism for thecontainer dispenser.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged section on the line 6-6 of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a section on the line'7-7 of FIG. 6'.

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the cover dispensing mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a side elevation thereof.

FIG. 10 is an elevation of the drive mechanism for the cover dispenser.

With continued reference to the drawings, a generally hollow body ortank is provided having side walls 21, a bottom wall 22 and end walls 23and 24. The end wall 23 extends upwardly substantially the full heightof the side walls 21 and the end wall 24 terminates a substantialdistance below the top of the side walls 21 for a purpose which will bedescribed later. The tank 20 is supported in a desired manner as by legs25 which, as shown, are constructed of angle members.

A platform or lower deck 26 is located below the tank 20 and suchplatform is connected to the legs 25 in any desired manner as by weldingand the like. A power plant 29 such as an electric motor, internalcombustion engine or the like is mounted on the platform 26, and suchpower plant drives a gear reduction unit 30 having an output shaft 31 onwhich a sprocket 32 is mounted. The sprocket 32 drives a chain 33 andsuch chain drives a sprocket 34 fixed to a transfer shaft 35 journaledin bearings 36 mounted on the platform 26. On one end of the transfershaft 35 is a bevel gear 37 which meshes with and drives a bevel gear 38fixed to a drive shaft 39. Such drive shaft is rotatably supported by aplurality of bearings 40 on the platform 26 and such drive shaft extendssubstantially the full length of the platform. Within the tank 20 anendless chain type conveyor 41 is provided having a pair of chains 42extending around spaced pairs of drive and-driven sprockets 43 and 44,respectively. The pair of drive sprockets 43 are affixed to a shaft 45at one end of the tank 20 and the pair of driven sprockets 44 are fixedto a shaft 46 at the opposite end of such tank. The chains 42 are spacedapart a predetermineddistance and are con-.

nected together by a plurality of flights 47 having openings therein forthe reception of containers'to'be filled. 1

In order to drive the conveyor 41 a sprocket 50 is mounted on thetransfer shaft 35 and such sprocket drives a chain 51 which in turndrives a sprocket 52 mounted on the input shaft 53 of a reduction unit54. A sprocket 55 is mounted on the output shaft of the reduction .unitand such sprocket drives a chain 56 which in turn drives a sprocket (notshown) connected to the shaft 45 to drive the conveyor 41. Preferablythe output shaft of the reduction unit 54 is operated in intermittenttimed relation in any conventional manner (not shown) so that theconveyor 41 will be advanced step by step. The upper run of the conveyor41 is disposed above the tank 20 while the lowerrun of the conveyor isimmersed in a cleaning solutiori or liquid cleaning agent 57 (FIG. 1) toclean the flights 47 by removing any drippage or spillage of foodproduct therefrom and sterilizing such flights.

A ledge or shelf 58 extends outwardly from one of the side walls 21 andpreferably each of the side walls is provided with an inwardly extendingflange 59. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, a container dispenser unit60 is disposed above the tank 20 and is arranged generally transverselyof such tank. The container dispenser unit includes a base plate 61supported by upright posts 62 fixed to the ledge 58 and one of theflanges 59. The base plate 61 has spaced generally upright posts 63supporting a top plate 64 at their upper ends. The top plate 64 isprovided with a pair of openings 65 through which a stack of nestedcontainers can be inserted. A plurality of bars 66 surround each of theopenings 65and, extend downwardly to the base plate 61 to provide aframe for retaining the stacks of containers. The base plate 61 isprovided with a pair of openings 67 in alignment with the openings 65 inthe top plate so that the stack of containers can pass through the baseplate.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the base plate 61 has a recess 68 whichnormally is closed by a cover plate 69 removably attached to the bottomof the base plate 61, and such cover plate is provided with openings 70in alignment with the openings 67 and 65. In order to dispense onecontainer at a time from each stack a pair of generally parallel slidebars 71 are slidably mounted within the recess 68 and are connected atopposite ends by a cross bar 72. To dispense one cup at a time from eachstack, the slide bars 71 extend inwardly into the path of travel of thestacks of containers. Each of the slide bars is provided with a notch orrecess 73 extending downwardly from the upper surface and terminating ata ledge 74. A second notch or recess extends upwardly from the bottomsurface of each of the slide bars in lateral spaced relation with thenotch 73, and spch notch 75 terminates in a ledge 76. The notches 73 and75 are in communication with each other, as illustrated in FIG. 6. Eachof the containers is provided with an upper flange so that the stock ofcontainers will pass through the openings 67 and 70 and the flange ofthe lowermost container will rest upon the ledge 74 while the flange ofthe next lowermost container will be disposed above the ledge 76. Whenit is desired to dispense one container from each of the stacks, the

slide bars 71 will move toward the right, as illustrated in FIG. 6, sothat the flange of the lowermost cup will move through the communicatingopening between the notches 73 and 75 until the flange clears the ledge74, at which time the lowermost cup can fall by gravity into theopenings in the flights 47 located therebelow. The movement of the slide'bars'inthe first direction will cause the upper ledge 76 to move underthe flange of the next lowermost container and prevent the dispensing ofmore than one container at a time. When the slide bars are retracted theledge 76 will be moved from beneath the flange of the next lowermostcon-.

tainer and permit the stack to drop by gravity until the flange restsupon the ledge 74.

In order to move the slide bars 71, the cover plate 69 is provided withan elongated slot 77 through which a screw or other fastener 78 extendsand threadedly engages one of the cross-bars 72. The screw 78 is freelyrotatably carried by one end of a link 79 and the opposite end of suchlink is freely rotatably connected to an eccentric 81 carried by a shaft82. To drive the eccentric 81, the lower end of the shaft 82 isrotatably mounted within a thrust bearing 83 carried by the platform 26.A bevel gear 84 is fixed to the shaft 82 in a position to mesh with acooperating bevel gear 85 fixed to one end of the drive shaft 39 so thatwhen the drive shaft is operated, the eccentric 81 will be rotated andthe link 79 will extend and retract the slide bars 71 With thisconstruction one container will be dispensed from each stack of the cupdispenser unit each time the conveyor 41 is advanced one step.

With reference to HG. 1, after the containers have been dispensed withinthe openings in the flights 47 such containers are advanced to a fillingstation 86 where such containers are filled with a predetermined amountof food product in liquid, granular or powdered form in a manner similarto our co-pending application Apparatus for Dispensing Viscous Material,U.S. Ser. No. 846,742.

After the containers have been filled they are advanced to a liddispenser unit 90 where a lid is placed on each of the containers. Asillustrated in FIGS. 8 12, the lid dispenser unit is located above thetank 20 and generally transversely thereof. Such lid dispenser unitincludes a base plate 91 supported by posts 92 carried by the ledge 58and one of the flanges 59. A plurality of upright posts 93 extendupwardly from the base plate 91 and support a top plate 94 having a pairof openings 95 surrounded by bars 96 extending between the base plate 91and the top plate 94 to retain a pair of stacks of container lids inalignment with each other. The base plate 91 is provided with a pair ofopenings 97 in alignment with the openings 95 and in alignment with theopenings 21 in the flights 47, and each of such base plate openings 97is provided with a plurality of inwardly extending lugs 98 which engageand support the stack of lids.

In order to remove one lid at a time from each of the stacks of lids, apair of vacuum type suction cups 99 are mounted on a header 100 carriedby a slide body 101 on rails 102. In the upper position a vacuum fromany desired source is applied to each of the cups 99 to create a suctionon such cups so that when the slide body 101 is lowered the lowermostlid will be pulled over the lugs 98 and separated from the stacks.

When the cups are being lowered it is necessary to reverse the directionof the header 100 so that the lids will be deposited on the containerscarried by the conveyor 41. In order to do this, the end of the headerremote from the cups 99 extends through the slide body 101 and isdisposed within a slot 103 of a block 104 swingably mounted by a pivot105 on an arm 106. One end of the arm 106 is swingably mounted by apivot 107 to the base plate 91. A roller 108 rotatably mounted on theheader 100 engages one surface of the arm 106 and as the slide body 101is lowered such roller is adapted to engage an enlargement or camsurface 109 on the arm 106. I

When the roller strikes the cam surface 109, the arm 106 will be pivotedto the left as illustrated in FIG. which will cause the block 104 torotate about the pivot 105 and reverse the direction of the cups 99. Inorder to maintain the roller 108 in engagement with the arm 106, thelower end of the arm is connected by a spring 110 to a post 111supported by a ledge 58. When the lids carried by the cups 99 aredeposited on the containers the vacuum is relieved so that as the slidebody 101 is again moved upwardly the lids will remain on the containers.

The slide body 101 is adapted to be moved up and down on the rails 102by an elongated rod 112 extending through and fixed to the slide body101 in any desired manner, and such rod 112 is carried by a bearing 1 13mounted on the base plate 91 and a slide bearing 114 in the ledge 58.The lower end of the rod 112 is connected by a pivot 115 to one end of aconnecting link 1 16 and the opposite end of such link is connected by apivot 117 to an eccentric 118. The eccentric 118 is rotatably mounted ona shaft 119 carried by bearings 120 mounted on a support plate 121.sprocket 122 is fixed to the shaft 119 and is adapted to be driven by achain 123 from a sprocket 124 mounted on the drive shaft 39. Rotation ofthe drive shaft will cause rotation of the shaft 119 which in turn willmove the rod 112 up and down.

After the lids have been deposited on the containers they may behermetically sealed thereon in any desired manner as by a sealer unit125.

With reference to FIGS. 13 15, after the lids have been sealed on thecontainers such containers are adapted to be discharged from themachine. In order to do this a container raising cam 126 is locatedbetween the sprockets 44 of the conveyor in a position that containerscarried by the flights 47 will engage the raising cam 126 and willpartially raised out of engagement with the flights 47. As the chains42'travel around the sprockets 44 the raised containers will be receivedwithin a pair of notches 127 within a receiver plate 128. Such receiverplate is mounted on a tongue 129 carried by a cross bar 130 which inturn is supported by a pair of spaced rods 131 slidably mounted withinbearings 132 disposed within the tank 20. A pair of fixed rails 133 aredisposed within each of the notches 127. Each pair of rails is supportedin fixed position by spacers 134 carried by a base rod 135 having oneend attached to the tank 20. Each of the rails 133 is provided with ashoulder 136 for a purpose which will be described later.

In order to move the cross bar 130 to the position shown in phantomlines in FIG. 14 to remove containers from the flights 47, the oppositeends of such cross bar are pivotally connected to links 137, theopposite ends of which are pivotally connected to levers 138 fixed toopposite ends of a shaft 139. To rotate the shaft 139 so that the links137 extend and retract the cross bar 130, an arm 140 is fixed to theshaft 139 and the opposite end of such arm is pivotally connected to oneend of a connecting link 141, the opposite end of which is pivotallyconnected to an eccentric 142 mounted on the end of the drive shaft 39.

When the receiver cross bar 130 and the receiver plate 128 are movedoutwardly to the position shown in phantom lines in FIG. 14, thecontainers will be removed from the openings in the flights 47 and thebottoms of such containers 'will be supported by the rails 123. Thereceiver plate 128 will move the containers a sufficient distance fromthe conveyor so that the bottom of the containers will pass theshoulders 136 of the fixed rails. When the receiver plate is retracted,the bottoms of the containers will engage the shoulders 136 and holdsuch containers on the rails.

As illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 17, a modified form of the invention isdisclosed in which the tank 20, the cup dispenser unit 60, fillingstation 86, lid dispenser unit 90 and the sealer unit 125 are enclosedby an air-tight housing 145. Preferably the housing 145 is constructedof transparent material so that the automatic operation of the variouselements can be observed at all times. The housing 145 is particularlyuseful when sterility of the product must be maintained and, if desired,an inert gas such as nitrogen or the like can replace the atmosphericair within the housing 145.

In order to permit an operator to make adjustments to the variousmechanisms within the housing 145, one or more ports 146 may be providedin each side of the housing 145. Each of such ports is closed by aflexible gauntlet or glove 147 having its outer periphery clamped to theside wall of the housing 145 by a ring 148 or the like. With thisconstruction, an operator on the exterior of the housing can insert hishands into the gloves which project into the housing and can make anynecessary adjustments without disturbing the sterile condition of theapparatus or the product within the housing.

In the operation of the device one or more containers are dispensed intothe openings in the flights 47 from the container dispenser unit 60after which the conveyor 41 is advanced step by step until the conveyorsare located beneath filling spouts of the filling station 86 where foodproduct in liquid, granular or powdered form is discharged into each ofthe containers. It is noted that if desired a pair of filling nozzlesmay be provided for each row of containers so that each nozzle candispense a desired portion of the food product into the container. Alsosuch nozzles could be used to dispense two separate materials which areto be mixed at the time of packaging. Thereafter, the conveyor isadvanced until the containers are located below the lid dispenser unit90 where a lid is placed on each of the containers after which theconveyor carries the containers of a sealer unit 125 where the lids arehermetically sealed onto the containers. Then the containers 9 aredischarged from the apparatus onto the fixed rails 133. When thecontainers have been discharged, the lower run of the conveyor 41 isimmersed in a cleaning solution which removes any spillage or drippagefrom the flights 47. The conveyor, container depositor unit,

filling unit, lid dispenser unit, heater unit and discharge unit all aredriven from a common drive shaft 39 so that of the various operationswill be carried out in a timed sequence.

The machine can be enclosed so as to facilitate use of an inertatmosphere in packaging and, in addition to sterile air, theintroduction of nitrogen or other gasses can be incorporated with thepresent invention. The machine permits sterilization of flights arid asterilizing liquid can be arranged in the tank. Also, a bubble devicecan be used that will permit scrubbing. The machine includes a tank thatwill permit sterilization of the flights and other parts, and themechanism can be cleaned and sterilized without removal of the partsfrom the machine. The machine facilitates nitrogen packaging as well aspackaging with carbon dioxide and the like.

Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what isconceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it isrecognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of theinvention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed hereinbut is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace anyand all equivalent devices and apparatus.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for packaging food, drugs and other products, comprisingtank means, an endless conveyor having upper and lower runs rotatablymounted in said tank means, said endless conveyor having a plurality offlights extending transversely of said tank means, each of said flightshaving at least one opening to receive a container to be filled, meansfor driving said conveyor,

container dispenser means mounted above said tank means and adapted toreceive at least one stack of containers, means for dispensing onecontainer at a time from each stack, the dispensing container falling bygravity into the openings of said flights, means for introducing foodproducts into said containers, lid dispensing means for placing a lid oneach of said containers, means for sealing said lids on said containers,means for discharging filled containers from said conveyor, means fordriving said conveyor and container dispenser means and food productintroducing means and lid dispensing means and said means fordischarging filled containers from a common shaft and in synchronizationwith each other, the lower run of said conveyor being immersed in acleaning solution in said tank to clean said conveyor, said means fordischarging filled containers including a container raising cam forpartially raising the containers out of the openings in said flights, areceiver plate normally disposed within said tank means, said receiverplate having a notch located in alignment with the containers on saidconveyor and adapted to receive said containers, a pair of fixed supportrods associated with each notch in said receiver plate and adapted tosupport the containers when the containers are discharged from saidconveyor.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which said receiver plate is mounted on across bar means, and support rods slidably supporting said cross barmeans within said tank.

3. The structure of claim 1 including an air-tight housing mounted onsaid tank for packaging food products under sterile conditions.

4. In an apparatus for packaging food, drugs, and

other products having an endless conveyor including a plurality offlights extending transversely of its path of travel with at least oneopening in each of the flights to receive and transport a container tobe filled, means for discharging containers from the conveyor after theyhave been filled, said, discharging means including a container raisingcam for partially raising the containers out of the openings in saidflights, a receiver plate normally positioned adjacent the discharge endof the conveyor, said receiver plate having a notch located in alignmentwith the containers on said conveyor and adapted to receive saidcontainers, a pair of fixed support rods associated with each notch insaid receiving plate and adapted to support the containers when thecontainers are discharged from said conveyor, and means forreciprocating said receiver plate to move containers from said conveyorflights to said pair of fixed support rods.

5. The device as defined in claim 4 wherein said receiver plate ismounted on a cross bar means and said device includes support rodsslidably supporting said cross bar means.

6. The device as defined in claim 5 wherein 'said support rods havetapered free end portions located adjacent said conveyor wherebycontainers removed from said conveyor flights by said receiver plate areguided along said tapered portions of said support rods onto the rodsand remain on the rods as the receiver plate is reciprocated backtowards the conveyor.

7. The device as defined in claim 6 wherein said means for reciprocatingsaid receiver plate is driven with said conveyor from a common driveshaft in synchronism with said conveyor.

1. Apparatus for packaging food, drugs and other products, comprisingtank means, an endless conveyor having upper and lower runs rotatablymounted in said tank means, said endless conveyor having a plurality offlights extending transversely of said tank means, each of said flightshaving at least one opening to receive a container to be filled, meansfor driving said conveyor, container dispenser means mounted above saidtank means and adapted to receive at least one stack of containers,means for dispensing one container at a time from each stack, thedispensing container falling by gravity into the openings of saidflights, means for introducing food products into said containers, liddispensing means for placing a lid on each of said containers, means forsealing said lids on said containers, means for discharging filledcontainers from said conveyor, means for driving said conveyor andcontainer dispenser means and food product introducing means and liddispensing means and said means for discharging filled containers from acommon shaft and in synchronization with each other, the lower run ofsaid conveyor being immersed in a cleaning solution in said tank toclean said conveyor, said means for discharging filled containersincluding a container raising cam for partially raising the containersout of the openings in said flights, a receiver plate normally disposedwithin said tank means, said receiver plate having a notch located inalignment with the containers on said conveyor and adapted to receivesaid containers, a pair of fixed support rods associated with each notchin said receiver plate and adapted to support the containers when thecontainers are discharged from said conveyor.
 2. The structure of claim1 in which said receiver plate is mounted on a cross bar means, andsupport rods slidably supporting said cross bar means within said tank.3. The structure of claim 1 including an air-tight housing mounted onsaid tank for packaging food products under sterile conditions.
 4. In anapparatus for packaging food, drugs, and other products having anendless conveyor including a plurality of flights extending transverselyof its path of travel with at least one opening in each of the flightsto receive and transport a container to be filled, means for dischargingcontainers from the conveyor after they have been filled, saiddischarging means including a container raising cam for partiallyraising the containers out of the openings in said flights, a receiverplate normally positioned adjacent the discharge end of the conveyor,said receiver plate having a notch located in alignment with thecontainers on said conveyor and adapted to receive said containers, apair of fixed support rods associated with each notch in said receivingplate and adapted to support the containers when the containers aredischarged from said conveyor, and means for reciprocating said receiverplate to move containers from said conveyor flights to said pair offixed support rods.
 5. The device as defined in claim 4 wherein saidreceiver plate is mounted on a cross bar means and said device includessupport rods slidably supporting said cross bar means.
 6. The device asdefined in claim 5 wherein said support rods have tapered free endportions located adjacent said conveyor whereby containers removed fromsaid conveyor flights by said receiver plate are guided along saidtapered portions of said support rods onto the rods and remain on therods as the receiver plate is reciprocated back towards the conveyor. 7.The device as defined in claim 6 wherein said means for reciprocatingsaid receiver plate is driven with saId conveyor from a common driveshaft in synchronism with said conveyor.